Snowies Alpine Walk hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Snowies Alpine Walk is a four-day walk across the roof of Australia in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales. It runs 56 km from Guthega village to Bullocks Flat in the Thredbo Valley, past Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m), the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. NPWS opened the full route in December 2024 by building 27 km of new track to link older walks. There are no huts or campsites to book on the way: you walk each day with a light pack and sleep in lodges and hotels in the alpine villages of Charlotte Pass and Perisher.

The route

Day 1 leaves Guthega beside the Snowy River, crosses Spencers Creek on Australia's highest suspension bridge (1,627 m) and climbs gently over open high plains to Charlotte Pass, 9 km in all. Day 2 is the classic Main Range loop from the Charlotte Pass turning circle, 22 km: you rock-hop the Snowy River at Foremans Crossing, pass the glacial Blue Lake, follow the crest of the Main Range past Carruthers Peak, Muellers Pass and Albina Lake, climb to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, and return past Rawson Pass and Seamans Hut on the old summit road. Day 3 crosses the high country from Charlotte Pass Village to Perisher Valley (12.7 km) by way of Porcupine Rocks. Day 4 drops 600 m from Perisher Valley through snow gums, alpine ash forest and boardwalks over bogs to the Thredbo River and Bullocks Flat (12 km).

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 4 stages, about 13.1 km each. The map line is about 52 km, a little shorter than the official figure, because the 1 km side path to the Kosciuszko summit and the short walks in and out of Charlotte Pass and Perisher villages are not drawn twice. The first three days stay above about 1,700 m, and much of day 2 is above 2,000 m.

Highlights

• Mount Kosciuszko: the summit of mainland Australia, with views over the Main Range and the Victorian Alps on a clear day
• Blue Lake: one of only five glacial lakes on the mainland, protected as a Ramsar wetland
• The Main Range: an open alpine ridge with herb fields that flower in January and snow patches into summer
• Spencers Creek suspension bridge: the highest suspension bridge in Australia, on day 1
• Seamans Hut: a stone memorial refuge from the late 1920s on the Etheridge Range
• Porcupine Rocks: granite tors with a long view over the Thredbo Valley on day 3

When to walk the Snowies Alpine Walk

NPWS offers the self-guided walk from November to April. Snow lies on the Main Range into November in many years, so December to March is the safest window; January brings the wildflowers, and late summer the most settled weather. From June to October the route is under snow, Kosciuszko Road to Charlotte Pass is closed, and the Perisher to Bullocks Flat section is shut because it crosses ski trails. Even in summer the weather above 1,800 m can turn to freezing wind, rain, hail or snow within hours, and afternoon thunderstorms are frequent in summer.

November 2026: from 9 to 27 November NPWS closes the Guthega, Charlotte Pass to Perisher and Perisher to Bullocks Flat sections every weekday (5.45am to 8.15pm) for aerial pest control. The Main Range loop stays open, but the full walk can only be done at weekends in that period.

How many days do you need?

Four walking days and three nights, as NPWS plans it: two nights at Charlotte Pass (or a base in Perisher with transfers) and one in Perisher Valley. Days are 3 to 9 hours of walking; day 2 is the long one. Add a night in Jindabyne before you start if you are driving from Sydney (about 5.5 hours) or Canberra (about 3 hours), and keep a spare day in case storms close the Main Range.

Getting there, booking and transfers

Jindabyne is the gateway town, with the Snowy Region Visitor Centre, supermarkets and most transfer companies; the nearest airport is Snowy Mountains Airport near Cooma. The walk needs no permit, but you pay the park entry fee if you drive in: $17 per vehicle per day outside winter, or a Short Breaks Pass of 5 days for $68.

Every day starts and ends in a different place, and there is no public transport between them in summer, so book a transfer with your accommodation or a local operator. Parking is very limited at Charlotte Pass. Rooms are scarce in summer: Charlotte Pass has a handful of lodges and one hotel, and most open only from late November, so book months ahead. NPWS also suggests its own Creel Bay and Numbananga lodges as a base. Several companies sell guided or supported packages with lodges and transfers included.

Money and phone signal

Bring cash and cards from Jindabyne: there are no shops along the walk and the cafés at Guthega and Charlotte Pass keep short summer hours. Mobile reception is limited in the park and absent in many valleys, so do not count on your phone to call for help. Download the NPWS app map or the PDF maps before you leave.

What to pack

There is no drinking water on any section, so carry 2 to 3 litres a day and food for the whole day. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm fleece or down layer, a beanie and gloves, sun hat, sunglasses and strong sunscreen (UV is fierce at altitude), sturdy boots, a first aid kit and a map. Hire a free personal locator beacon at the Snowy Region Visitor Centre and leave a trip intention form with someone at home.

Difficulty and safety

NPWS grades the walk 4: bushwalking experience is recommended. The tracks are well built, with steel platforms, stone steps and boardwalks, but day 2 is 22 km of exposed high country with steep sections near Carruthers Peak. The danger is the weather. Check the Bureau of Meteorology alpine forecast every morning, start early, and turn back if cloud, storms or snow move in; markers are hard to see in fog. Cross the Snowy River only when the water is low and the rocks are dry. Stay back from the drop at Porcupine Rocks. Pets and drones are not allowed, and all toilet waste and rubbish must be carried out.

History

The Ngarigo, Walgalu and Djilamatang peoples travelled to these mountains each summer for thousands of years to gather and feast on bogong moths. In 1840 the Polish explorer Paweł Strzelecki climbed the peak and named it after Tadeusz Kościuszko. Graziers drove cattle to the high plains for about a century; grazing was phased out after Kosciusko State Park was created in 1944, and the park became a national park in 1967. Charlotte Pass grew up around the first Kosciusko Chalet in 1930, and the Snowy Hydro scheme built Guthega in the 1950s.